Glenda and I knew we were going to be busy in the coming few weeks with a garage sale and moving the Bighorn out to Kamp Komfort campground July 1. So on the spur of the moment last Friday we thought a local trip to Comlara Park campground at Lake Evergreen near Hudson, IL would be fun and relaxing. We decided on site #3. It has a couple of trees on the awning side to help with the afternoon sun and it was a pretty level site too.
The sites are nicely spaces
We paid for 4 nights and planned on leaving on Tuesday. We rode our bikes and walked the campground several time over the weekend. However on Saturday we had some rain start in the afternoon and didn't end for about 7 hours. It wasn't a hard rain just a steady rain. It was enough to curb our outdoor activities for a while. So we watched TV(local channels - we don't have satellite yet) but were entertained enough. We found out that you have to turn the volume up on the TV when the rain is coming down a little harder. This was a good trial run for full timing since I know there will be those days where indoor activity is mandatory. Sunday was a very nice sunny day and felt great after the long rain period on Saturday. We decided to go to the boat launch and see if we could check out a kayak and get some exercise. They happened to have a 2 person sit on kayak so we rented it for 1 hour. We had a great paddle along the lake shore and could see where our rig was parked.
There were many fisherman in their boats and we even saw a nice sailboat toward the middle of the lake.
We could really feel our back and arm muscles which were not exactly in shape for this activity. However it was great to be on the water. I know we will be purchasing an inflatable kayak once we get going on the road. That night we had a nice fire and it was hard for me to think about going back to work the next day and knowing Glenda would be enjoying the campground without out me.
After I got off work on Monday, Glenda and I started talking and decided we would pay for the rest of the week and go dump the tanks since they were getting pretty full and we would need the capacity for the next few days. We were able to extend our stay until today. With Father's Day weekend this weekend our site had already been reserved for the weekend.
We started to close and secure enough of the rig to go to the dump station and come back and set up again for the rest of the week. I get out the remote to close the awning and it won't work so I go to the panel and close the awning there. Then I try the slide out.. I hear a short moan and then NOTHING. Uh Oh....Houston we have a problem. I then go check the auto leveling system and it says low voltage. WHAT??? The panel monitor says it is full. With my inexperience I get out the owners manual and begin reading about the electrical system. I check the breakers in the coach. I check the fuses and I see nothing. I am freaking out now. How incredibly fortunate we were that we could secure our site for 4 more days. We had no idea we had this problem when we extended our stay. How would be have gotten off the site for someone else?
So Tuesday I call my dealership but they don't get back to me. I call the Heartland EV company Customer Service number and I get Scott on the line. Scott is a tech and I explained the problem to him and he right away assures me that he will be able to find a mobile RV tech near our town. About an hour later he calls me back with a name and number to call Green Acres RV parts and RV repair in Clinton, IL about 30 miles south of our location. I called the number and Danny answers and tells me he can come out on Wednesday to look at the problem. I am beginning to breath easier again.
Danny called me on Wednesday about 11:30 am and says he is on his way to the campground so I alert Glenda and I leave work and drive the 25 minutes to the campground for my work location. When I arrive Danny is already there and under the front overhang and in the front compartment. I get out and he says go in and try your slide out. I go to the panel and push the button to bring the slide in and IT WORKS. I am dumbfounded. I go out and ask Danny what the problem was and he said you have a bad 50 amp relay(circuit breaker).
The row of breakers is just to the left of the black hose from the battery box
This is an area I had no idea where a circuit breaker was. I thought they were on the inside by the door where all the fuses and individual breakers were. He goes right to work and replaces the bad breaker and reconnects the wires. We check the leveling system it's working too. Danny explains that if the battery power goes below a certain level the hydraulics and motors won't have enough power to run. The breaker affected the converter and it wouldn't charge the battery while connected to shore power. So the 12v lights and other systems were draining the battery but not re charging it.
I thanked Danny for the explanation and for helping us out so quickly. Danny got started on writing up the bill. Service charge - $80, Labor - $30 and the Breaker???? Well it was only $9.50 however the total bill came to $119.50. So you see $9.50 does equal $119.50. We paid Danny and I faxed the bill to Heartland for repayment. Heartland Customer Service is the best. Not too expensive of a lesson but a good one. My next purchase will be a good quality Voltmeter. Probably something I should have had a long time ago and learned how to use it. I took some of Danny's business cards and gave a couple to the campground hosts in case other campers have a problem that needs mobile assistance. Anyway, we had a great rest of the week. Glenda enjoyed continued organizing, riding her bike and walking the campground loops. Then when I got home from work we did it all again. We had some pizza one night and left over turkeyburgers another. We rented a couple of movies and enjoyed those too. All in all it was a great weekend and week . The Bighorn is back at the storage lot for a couple more weeks and then on to Kamp Komfort. It feels so good to start calling our rig our home. The countdown continues and it won't be long.
